New look Vikes open season on home ice Friday against Trinity Western

---

A casual observer of the B.C. Intercollegiate Hockey League might look at the 2013/14 standings and assume that the University of Victoria -- which boasts a league-best three championships -- had one of its worst campaigns in the team's nine-year existence. And they'd be half right.

The Vikes opened the fall with 10 consecutive losses, including a streak of four games where they failed to score a goal. But after being outscored by a 47-13 margin over the span a funny thing happened. Seemingly down and out, UVic took three points from a two-game home series against eventual league champions Selkirk College and one week later stunned SFU 5-0 in Burnaby, marking the first time that the Clan had ever been shut out on home ice.

The squad finished out the year losing just three of their final 14 games in regulation and made a late push for a playoff spot, but ultimately their slow start out of the gates proved too much to overcome.

UVic is hoping that momentum carries over into the 2014/15 season, as a strong recruiting class appears to have the team back on track towards postseason contention.

Back from last year's team are leading scorer Shawn Mueller and captain Evan Warner, as well as a strong supporting cast that includes Mitchell Bell, Luciano Somerville and Adam Klein. Added to the mix up front are former Nelson Leafs Carsen Willans and Linden Horswill, who combined to score 111 points in the KIJHL last season.

The Vikes' blueline has been bolstered by the addition of MJHL standout Dylan Hykawy, as well as Victoria Cougars alum Patrick Webb, who like Horswill and Willans suited up at the 2014 Cyclone Taylor Cup.

In goal, returning starter Nick Babich will be supported by a pair of additions from the KIJHL, as Jeremy Mousseau (Kimberley Dynamiters) and Scott Legault (Princeton Posse) battle for the back-up role.

The Vikes begin the regular season on Friday night when 2014 league runners-up Trinity Western visit the Ian Stewart Complex for the first of two games in a back-to-back series. Both games can be viewed live on FAST Hockey.